One of the many duties of a municipal water department is the elimination of leaks in mains or, more commonly, in service conduits between the mains and a meter within a building. It is well known in the field of water department management that sometimes several years pass before leaks in service conduits are discovered. Leaks that go undetected for long periods can cause losses of thousands of dollars.
A service conduit leak also makes it possible for drinking water to be contaminated. Fire apparatus drawings or main shut-offs are examples of situations when a vacuum can be drawn and if the service conduit is in the field of a defective sewer line or sewage, contaminated water may then be drawn into it.
In addition, repair of such leaks entails substantial costs as presently it is necessary not only to excavate until the main is exposed but also to dig a trench from the main to the curbstop and often to the building to enable the service conduit to be replaced. It will be appreciated that digging such a trench is an objectionable, though presently a necessary procedure, both because of the cost and because, when the trench must extend beyond the curbstop, lawns and shrubbery are disturbed and damaged, at least temporarily and often permanently.